The Power of a Melody
by NancyLaj
Summary: Brand New Chapter Posted! Set 5 years after the collapse of Sunnydale. The Scoobies are fighting evil on their new Cleveland Hellmouth but this time it is Willow that evil wants. Can a couple of ghosts from her past, save her?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Author's Note: Here is a bit of background for this new fanfic _Author's Note:__ Here is a bit of background for this new fanfic. This fanfic starts off 5 years after the collapse of Sunnydale. The Scoobies are now settled in Cleveland. They run the U.S. slayer school while Faith, Robin, Andrew and Dawn run the European slayer school in Scotland. Giles is now in charge of the new Watcher's Council, which he established in London, England. This fanfic centers around Willow, as the main character. There are a couple of new characters but they will be explained as the story goes on. Please take the time to post a review and let me know how you like this fanfic. All credit for Buffy and everything Buffy related goes to Joss Whedon._ Prologue

"Goddess, are you sure about this?" asked the small demon, whose long horned tail fidgeted in nervousness, as the goddess walked over the dead body of his fellow demon servant.

"Are you actually questioning my plan?" Asked the goddess. She couldn't believe that this thing was stupid enough to question her. Did he not know who she was?

"No. No. I would never question your plan. It is the most brilliant plan ever. But I would just like to bring to your attention one slight possible problem. But I doubt that it will even be an issue." The demon replied, lowering his head as he knelt down in front of the goddess. He was prepared for her to kill him as he had just witnessed her do to the last demon that had dared question her plan.

The goddess walked around the demon as he bowed down to her. 'That's the way that it should be. Men should bow down to women.' But she was interested in what the demon had to say and she knew that if he said something that she didn't like, she would just simply kill him. The goddess couldn't think of any potential problems with the plan that she had spent the last five years working on. Even though she had been on earth since the very beginning, the last five years had felt long and torturous as she sat and watched the witch, waiting for the perfect time to strike. But now that the time had finally arrived, she didn't want anything coming between her and that power. "Entertain me. Tell me about this problem."

"Well Most Beautiful, this witch is the key to your plan, right?"

"I kinda need her, in order to harness her power. So yeah, she's the key. Your point being?"

The demon continued to stare down at the floor, knowing that if he were to make eye contact with her, she would instantly use the large axe in her hand to take off his head. "My point is, Goddess, what if she finds out about your plan?"

"Have you not been listening to me? I know that you're a male and therefore have no listening skills but try to pay attention. I don't need for her to willingly give me her powers; it just makes things a lot simpler and a whole lot more entertaining. When you've been around as long as I have, you need to find new ways of keeping yourself busy. And it's just a bonus that I'm going to drain to most powerful witch in the world of her powers." The goddess knew that she couldn't let anyone or anything find out that this witch actually possessed a lot more power than she did, and therefore posed a real dangerous threat to everything that the goddess had worked millenniums for. 'She won't be a threat for much longer and I'll have all that power to myself. Now that will be a sweet day in hell.' She thought with a smile. She turned back to the demon and continued, "Stand up, I tired of staring at the top of your bald little head. Now what was I saying? Oh yeah, with the powers that this witch has, it's smarter for me to take it from her, little by little, that way she won't suspect anything until it's too late. And when she figures out what happened, she won't have any powers left to fight me. Then I'll kill her. If anyone tries to stop me, no biggie, on to plan B."

"Plan B, your holiness?"

"Why do males, both human and demon alike, think that women can't do anything? Yes, there's a Plan B. This witch is at her most powerful when she's overpowered by her own emotions. Which is perfect because if I need to drain her of her powers quickly, I just need to piss her off, and what better way to do that than to kill someone close to her. It's both effective and entertaining. And when she's all dark and veiny, I just have to do the stupid and really overwritten spell. Then it's all mine. Get it now?" The goddess was growing more and more irritated with her latest species of demon servants. In her opinion, they asked too many questions for a species that was supposed to worship her. But she knew that she needed them to do her dirty work, leaving no one to suspect that she was actually the one behind all the chaos until the time was right.

Chapter. 1

"Baby, we'll be together again soon. I'll see you in like a day and a half. Plus, you're the one who didn't want to leave you car behind, so now you have to drive the 33 hours up to Cleveland. We can still just buy you a new car when we get there." Willow said, trying to reassure her girlfriend.

"I can't just leave my car here in L.A. while I move to Cleveland. I've put a lot of work into her, and a lot of money. And I don't want to use the Council's money to buy a new car. We can find better ways of spending their money. Why don't you just come for the drive with me? 33 hours is too long to be driving alone without my regular Willow kisses." Lilly replied as she pulled Willow closer to her, wrapping her arms around the petite witch's waist.

Willow couldn't help but laugh. "I'm going to miss you too and not just your kisses." She countered as gave Lilly a sultry smile, letting her know that she wasn't thinking about only kisses. "And you know that I have to be in Cleveland for tomorrow. I need to be there with the others to greet the new slayers."

Willow couldn't believe her luck when she met Lilly three months before, while at a popular L.A. club. Lilly was the lead singer for a local band that was playing at the club that night. The moment she heard Lilly's voice, she knew that she was in love. It felt as though Lilly was singing directly to her. Willow knew that the chances that the woman who was that beautiful could also be interested in women, wasn't likely. But after Lilly finished the set, she made her way through the crowd to where Willow sat and offered to buy the witch a drink.

Now they stood at the airport, three months later, and Willow was kissing Lilly, who was now her girlfriend, goodbye. Willow not only felt lucky that Lilly loved her, but she had also found out that Lilly was a witch, a very powerful one. Even though they were only going to be apart for little more than a day, Willow knew that the separation was going to be difficult for the both of them. Since the night they met, they had not been apart for more than a couple of hours. The only fact that lessened her anxiety about the separation, was knowing that even though her time helping Angel in L.A. was over and she was returning to Cleveland for the start of another school year at the Trucido Preparatory Academy for Girls, Lilly was going back with her.

The moment that Willow told her girlfriend that her time in Los Angeles was over, Lilly quit her band and sold her loft. She told Willow that she was okay leaving her old life behind to move to Cleveland, as long as they were together. Lilly stated that she understood that the slayer school was very important to the witch, and that she didn't want to take that away from her.

Lilly knew that she was taking a chance by leaving L.A. but she also knew that keeping Willow's love was well worth it. "I know that I'm being a total chick about this, I guess I'm just nervous about meeting your friends."

Willow leaned into Lilly and began to passionately kiss her, allowing her fingers to get tangled up in Lilly's long black hair. "They'll love you, just like I do." Willow replied as she pulled slightly away from Lilly, hoping the kiss had calmed some of Lilly's fears.

"Just like you do? Well, maybe I can go for Buffy, she is kind of hot. But Xander? I think the whole him having a penis could be a problem. You know I'd much rather something that isn't a penis." Lilly laughed, but as she saw the look of shock on Willow's face, she explained. "Will, you really walked right into that one. I'm sorry but I just had to say it."

"You think that Buffy's hot?" Willow suddenly feared that she could lose her girlfriend to Buffy, even though women weren't Buffy's style.

"Honey, I was just joking. She's hot but not my type. Redheads are more my style. You know the saying that redheads are freaks in the bedroom? Well that's what I like and that's what I've got, my own freaky-in-the-bedroom redhead. So why would I want anyone else?" Lilly explained as she placed her hand on the back of Willow's neck, pulling the witch into yet another passionate kiss.

"GATE 8, DIRECT FLIGHT FROM LOS ANGELOS TO CLEVELAND. NOW BOARDING."

Lilly pulled away from Willow as she heard the announcement over the airport speakers. She smiled when she noticed that Willow's eyes were still closed from their kiss. "Isn't that your flight?"

Willow slowly opened her eyes, not wanting the kiss to end. "Yeah." She replied, her voice still thick with lust. "I hate saying goodbye. It sounds so final."

"Then don't. We'll just say 'cannot wait to see you'. But you are well aware that this is going to be torture for me, I hate not having you right by my side."

"It's going to be hard for me too. I'll miss not having someone to snuggle up with me, tonight in bed. But I guess that I can always ask Buffy." Willow replied with a goofy smile, letting Lilly know that she too was only joking.

"Ha ha, very funny. Oh wait! I have something for you. But you can't open it until you get on the plane." Lilly said as she removed an envelope from her bag, handing it to Willow.

"What's in it?" Willow asked, examining the envelope, hoping to find a hint of what was inside.

"Lets just say that it's a little something for you to remember me by. At least until we're together again." Lilly answered, wishing that she could be there to see the look on Willow's face as she opened the envelope. "You should really be getting on that plane before you have no choice but to take the 33 hours drive up to Cleveland with me."

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Willow pulled Lilly into one final fiery kiss. The intensity of the kiss left both women breathless and light headed as they separated from one another. "I love you" was the only thing that Willow was able to say without crying as she walked towards the gate, leaving the woman who gave her a new lease on life and love, behind.

--

Tara sat in the middle of a beautiful green valley, but she couldn't acknowledge the beauty that surrounded her. Her mind was elsewhere, as she thought about Willow. 'I just want to see her, again.' She thought to herself.

"Tara."

Tara looked up towards the source of the voice. "Hi Mama."

"Tara, you're in the most beautiful of places yet you're not happy. I haven't seen you smile since you've arrived here." Tara's mother stated as she sat on the grass, next to her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Mama. I am happy to be here but I miss Willow so much and I don't even know what's happened to her since I died." Tara turned to her mother, with tears in her eyes. "I can never really be happy until I'm with Willow, again. Except for Willow's sake, I hope that it doesn't happen for a very long time."

"Tara, you're in heaven but you'd rather be back on earth with all the death, destruction and evil?" Tara's mother watched as her daughter began to cry. She pulled Tara into her arms, trying to provide some comfort to her daughter. But she knew that there was only one person who could truly make her daughter happy and that person was still alive, for now.

"I know about all the bad things that happen on earth, I used to help fight them. But there are so many good things about being alive and on earth, like Willow. We had just found our way back to each other then suddenly we were separated again, it just wasn't fair." Tara continued to sob in her mother's arms.

"I know, Sweetie. That is why I'm here. You're needed back on earth, Willow needs you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter. 2

"I know, Sweetie. That is why I'm here. You're needed back on earth, Willow needs you."

Tara looked up into her mother's eyes; she couldn't understand what her mother had meant. "I thought there was no way that I could go back. I died a human death, not a magical one. I know Willow, if there was a way to bring me back, she would have tried it. Wait. You said that Willow needs me, does that mean that she's in danger?"

Tara's mother didn't want to be apart from her daughter again but The-Powers-That-Be had made a decision and she knew that it wasn't her place to argue with them. "She is in danger. And normally, you wouldn't be able to go back but this threat puts everyone and everything on earth, in danger. Even us. The-Powers-That-Be know that they have to use a lot power to battle this great evil. That's why you have to go back."

Tara's face brightened with a smile as she thought about seeing her Willow, again. But she was well aware that her return wasn't going to be a joyful occasion. Willow was in danger and Tara knew that she had to do everything in her power to protect the love of her life. "Just tell me what I need to do to save her. I'll do anything." Tara pleaded; it made her sick to her stomach, to think of Willow getting hurt or worse, killed.

"You're going to be sent back to earth. But you won't look like yourself or even have your powers. You'll be sent back as a slayer."

In an instant, all her hopes and dreams about reuniting with Willow again were destroyed. She was going to be near Willow again, yet Willow wouldn't be able to recognize her. Tara was horrified when she realized that she would be returning as a slayer because not only did that mean that she would have to fight but it also meant that the previous slayer must have died. It broke her heart to think that Buffy might have died, again. Or that is was Faith. As a group, they have already grieved Buffy's death once, but she knew that this time probably was a lot more devastating for the remaining Scoobies, especially Willow. "Mama, who died? If The-Powers-That-Be is sending me back as a slayer, it could only mean that either Buffy or Faith has died. Right?"

"Neither of them has died. Thanks to Willow, all potential slayer, meaning all young women who were next in line to becoming slayers, are now slayers. There are now almost 2,000 slayers, worldwide." Her mother explained, stroking the top of her daughter's head, as it rested on her lap.

Tara's smile quickly reappeared, 'Of course it had been Willow.' She thought to herself, proudly. Willow had likely saved the world from evil, by creating so many new slayers. That was until now. Tara knew that in order to do a spell like that, Willow would have to be a lot more powerful than ever she had realized. But it was that same power that was now making Willow a target, and now she was the one in danger. "But if I go back to Willow, looking like someone else, how will she know that it's me?"

"She won't know that it's you and she cannot find out who you really are. The-Powers-That-Be are allowing you to tell only one person, your true identity." Tara's smiled brightened when she thought that even though Willow couldn't find out about her return from the heaven, at least she would be able to tell Buffy or Xander. She knew that even though they may not believe her, they wouldn't ignore her warning about Willow's safety. But before she could figure out who she was going to tell, her mother continued to explain the rules that she would have to follow in order to save Willow. "There are some exceptions to who you can tell. You cannot tell Willow or anyone within her close circle. And the person that you chose cannot tell anyone, either. Your identity must be kept secret if you are going to help save Willow. If this rule is broken, you will instantly be sent back here and our plan fails. Meaning that evil wins, destroys the world and Willow dies." Her mother wished that she didn't have to be the one to inform her daughter of The-Powers-That-Be's plan. But she also knew that Tara needed to hear it from her because it was going to be difficult for her daughter to be around the woman that she loved, yet not have that woman even know who she was. "If you succeed in this mission, The-Powers-That-Be have agreed to grant you one wish."

"If I manage to keep Willow safe, can my wish be to go back to my old life, my old body and to my old girlfriend?" Tara hoped that her wish would be granted. She sat up, she knew that she needed to try and read the look on her mother's face. But from her expression, Tara already knew the answer.

"It hurts me so much to have to be the one to tell you this, but no, you can never go back to your old life. You're time on earth came to an end, 6 years ago. The only reason that they're sending you back, is because you are our last hope. They are already taking a huge risk and playing with the circle of life by doing this, they refuse to do it twice."

Tara took a moment to think about what her mother had just said. She knew that her mother was right; they were playing with the circle of life, just by sending her back. And she was grateful that they were allowing her to be the one to try and save Willow, the person whom she still loved with her whole being. It was her love for Willow that made coming up with a second wish, easy. "Mama, if I can't be with Willow again then I want my wish to be for her to find life-lasting love."

"I think that the Higher Powers can help with that."

Tara watched as her mother turned around and began to walk away. "Mama, where are you going? Don't leave, there's still so much that I need to know. When do I go back? What do I do? Who's going to hurt Willow?" Tara continued to ask questions as she quickly stood up and began to follow her mother.

Her mother stopped, slowly turning back around to face her daughter. "You'll be sent back to earth, in just a few minutes. Willow and the others are now living in Cleveland, Ohio. Whether you go there first, is up to you. There is no plan; they are leaving it up to you. They are trusting your love and judgment to find a way of saving her and the rest of the world. The only thing that I can tell you about this evil is that she holds power older than anyone or anything that Willow and her friends have ever defeated."

'I have to figure out that how to save Willow, by myself?' She thought to herself. Tara knew that she had to find someone to help her save Willow, but it was going to prove to be a lot more difficult when everyone close to Willow, was already excluded. For a moment, her mind was blank. Tara had no idea who was currently in or out of Willow's life; the only people that Tara knew were the ones who were in Willow's life before her death. She knew that the person she chose to reveal her true identity to, would have to be someone who loved and cared for Willow and someone that Tara could trust to help her keep Willow safe. Suddenly it came to her. "Oz" She said in a whisper.

"Oz?" Her mother asked, she had no idea what her daughter had meant.

"Mama, Oz was Willow's boyfriend before we met. I know that he loved her and probably still does. Willow isn't the type of person that someone could easily fall out of love with. I need his help to save her. I need to find him before I go help Willow. Can The-Powers-That-Be send me to wherever he is?" Tara hoped that she was making the right decision. Would Oz really be willing to help her save Willow? She knew that she likely wasn't Oz's favorite person but she had a feeling that Oz would still do anything to help save Willow's life and the rest of the world, even if that meant helping Tara. But she wondered if including Oz in her plan could also possibly benefit Willow in another way. Something inside of Tara told her that Oz would never allow anything bad to happen to Willow and that he would always love her. She knew that there was maybe a chance that she could fulfill her wish, herself. But that would only happens if Willow hadn't already found love again. It was at that moment that Tara realized that she had no idea about what had gone on in Willow's life since her death, and that now she was about to jump right back into it. She wondered if what she had planned was fair to Oz. But she knew that she had to do anything in her power to save Willow and the rest of the earth, knowing that people were likely to get hurt along the way. "I really need to find Oz."

"Just picture him in your mind and count down from ten. When you open your eyes, you'll be able to find him. Just remember, Willow cannot find out who you are and defeating this evil has to be your top priority." Her mother warned.

Tara knew her mother was right, killing the demon should be her first priority except it wasn't. Willow was. "Mama, I know what's important. I know what I have to do."

Her mother was aware of the fact that her daughter still loved Willow, but she hoped that her daughter understood that her mission was to save the world, even if that meant Willow had to die. "I hope that you do. I love you and I'll miss you. The Higher Powers will help you anyway that they can but you have to be careful. It's time for you to go. Are you ready?"

Tara nodded as she closed her eyes and began to count. "Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…"

-- --

Oz stood staring out of his apartment window, overlooking Detroit. He had only been back in the States for a little over a month, and he already couldn't get his mind off of Willow. Not that he had been able to since he had left Sunnydale eight years before, but being closer to her made it even more difficult.

He had spent the last eight years traveling the world, everywhere except the United States. He avoided it like the plague until Devon managed to get in touch with him, and informed him the Sunnydale was now a giant crater. Oz knew that he had to find Willow and the others, to make sure that everyone had made it out of Sunnydale, safely. But it had already been five years since the collapse of his hometown and the Scoobies could be anywhere in the world by now. But no matter the obstacles, he knew that he needed to find them.

But he was also terrified of what he might find. There was a chance that someone hadn't made it out alive, and he prayed that it wasn't Willow. He wondered that if Willow had made it, what were the chances that she was still with Tara. If it had already ended in some way, was she still single or had she met someone new? He asked himself those questions everyday, but he knew that he wouldn't know anything for certain until he found them.

Since arriving in Detroit, he spent every moment trying to find out what happened to his friends and their whereabouts. But so far, he had come up with nothing. Not one of them had a listed phone number or address. Oz knew that he had to figure out another course of action, if he wanted to find them. But he was still unclear to what that path would be.

-- --

Willow managed to quickly find her seat, as she followed the other passengers onto the plane. She then took a minute to wonder who was going to meet her at the airport. She knew that she should have kept better touch with the others over the summer, except every time they tried to reach each other, it seemed more like a game of phone-tag. Everyone had had different plans for their summer. Buffy was in England visiting Giles and Dawn, who was there studying to be a watcher. While Xander had decided to spend his summer, supervising the young slayers who had chosen to remain at the school over their break.

But now that a new school year was about to begin, Willow grew excited as well as nervous. She loved teaching and watching the young women became young slayers. But every year, there always seemed to be a couple of deaths. They knew that there was always that risk, but it was still always difficult for everyone when it happened. In those times, the only thing that Willow knew was that no matter what future challenges they would face, they would all face it together.

Willow was grateful to still have Buffy and Xander in her life. The three of them stayed close by running the slayer school, together. On paper, she was now the headmistress for The Trucido Preparatory Academy for Girls, the name they had chosen to use for the slayer school. From the outside, the school appeared to just be a regular private school, but within the walls, it was a different story. It was where all new slayers received an education, not only academically but also in how to be a slayer. While Willow was in charge of the young slayers' academic education, as well as teaching them about the different types of demon, Buffy had taken charge of training the new slayers and supervising the teams of young slayers as they patrolled. Xander, also played in important part within the school, he was not only the one who built all of their weapons but he was also the one to teach the young slayers how to use them. The school was funded by money received from the new Watcher's Council, which Giles had chosen to rebuild after the collapse of Sunnydale. He had also started a school, in England, in order to train and find new watchers because everyone knew that all of these new slayers needed to have a watcher. Although the number of slayer to watcher was overwhelming, they continued to have hope that eventually every slayer would have her own watcher.

With the Scoobies being the core of the school, Willow wondered where Lilly could fit into their group. She knew that her girlfriend's own abilities would help them in their fight, but she wondered what the others would think of Lilly's methods. Lilly seems to easily be able to call upon dark gods and goddesses for help, without being affected negatively by their power. It was something that Willow knew that she wouldn't be able to do herself, but the fact that her girlfriend have that power and strength made Willow love and respect her girlfriend, even more than she already did.

As she began thinking more about her girlfriend, she remembered that Lilly had given her a gift. Willow removed the envelope from her bag, and quickly tore it open. The envelope contained a series of pictures, pictures of Lilly. Pictures of Lilly in only her bra and underwear, and in very strategic poses. Willow undid the open button of her blouse as it suddenly felt as though the temperature in the plane, had risen. But before she had the time to really look at the pictures, she noticed the gentleman next to her, was looking over her shoulder, at the pictures as well. Willow quickly placed the pictures back into her bag as her cheeks growing red with embarrassment.

Once she was sure that the pictures were no longer visible, Willow quickly grabbed her cell phone as passengers continued to board the plane.

Ring Ring

"I honestly thought that you'd at least wait until you were in the air before you opened it." Lilly laughed as she answered her cell phone.

"When? How? I don't know what to say." Willow quietly whispered into her cellphone, not wanting the man, next to her, to hear her.

For a minute, the only thing Willow heard was Lilly's laughter. "Will, don't make something so simple, complicated. Do you like them?"

"Umm…yes." Was the only response that Willow was able to say as she thought about a couple of the pictures in particular.

"So why does it matter when or how they were done?"

Willow realized that the man next to her, was now staring at her. "I just can't remember anytime when you could have had this done. I mean we've been together pretty much nonstop for the last couple of weeks."

"Remember when you had to go over to Angel's place, just to go over some last minute details about his new slayers? Well I knew that you'd be gone at least a couple of hours, so I called a friend of mine, who is also an amazing photographer and I asked him to help me out with something that I knew you'd enjoy. Will, you know that I'd love to talk to you forever but I'm about to get on the freeway and I really shouldn't be talking on my cell while driving. But promise me, you'll call me when you get to Cleveland?"

Willow watched as the flight attendant began making her rounds, asking passengers to shut off their cell phones. "Lilly, I pinky-promise you that I'll call as soon as I get back to the school. I love you and I already miss you."

For a couple of seconds, there was no reply. Willow was about to ask her girlfriend if she was still there, when Lilly replied. "Just promise me that we won't change, now that we'll be living in a new town?"

Willow could see the flight attendant as she made her way closer. "Some things will change because I'll be teaching and we'll be living with others but I won't let anything change between us."

"I'll hold you to that. I love you too. I'll talk to you in a few hours."

Willow knew that she had to get off of her cell phone before the flight attendant reached her. "In a few hours." She replied as she shut her cell phone, before placing it back in her bag. 'Oh Goddess, please watch over her. I can't lose someone else that I love.' Willow prayed as she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She hoped that if she slept during the flight, the time till she was reunited with Lilly, would pass faster.

-- --

As Tara opened her eyes, she found that it took a couple of minutes for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun. She wondered where on the earth she was. Tara smiled as she looked around and realized as she took a deep breath, that she was in fact alive, again. She took a few minutes to trace the brick of the building next to her. The bricks felt cold and rough against her skin, but Tara didn't mind because she knew that if she could feel that, she could also one day feel the warmth and smoothness of Willow's skin.

The thought of being around Willow again, excited Tara. That was until she remembered that she couldn't tell Willow that she was back. And that Willow wouldn't recognize her because she was sent back to earth looking like a totally different person. Tara quickly searched for a window or mirror, where she would be able to see her reflection. She noticed a large department store, next to the apartment building where she stood. Tara walked over to the large store windows and was unnerved by what she saw. Even though she knew that she didn't look the same, she had still somewhat expected to her own reflection looking back at her. Instead it was a young thin blond-haired woman staring back at her. Her heart sank when she realized that there was now no hope that Willow would recognize her.

Tara knew that she was being selfish. It would be unfair to Willow, for them to finally be reunited, just to be separated again. 'If I save her.' Tara thought to herself. 'I have to save her but I need help. I need to find Oz. But where on earth am I?' She knew that there had to be a reason that the higher powers sent her to that exact place. But as she took in her surroundings, nothing stood out in particular. Both sides of the streets were lined with stores, other than the six-story apartment building where she had first appeared. Tara walked back to the apartment building and noticed a list of the residents, by the door, next to individual doorbells.

She ran her finger down the list, hoping to find a name that she would recognize. As she went down the list, her hopes of finding Oz began to fade. That was until she reached the second name from the bottom. Daniel Osbourne. Oz. 'Oh, I can't do this. Why me? Why did they choose me? I can't fight. How am I going to fight this big evil? An evil so big that even The-Powers-That-Be are afraid.' Tara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'I have to do this. I have to save Willow. But I need Oz's help.'

Just as Tara was about to press the doorbell to Oz's apartment, someone walked out of the building. Not knowing what to tell him over the intercom, she knew that her best bet would be to walk up to his door and knock. The thought of knocking on his door seemed a lot more daunting than just pressing a button, but she knew that knocking on a door was probably be the easiest thing she was about to face.

Tara quickly stepped through the doorway before it closed, locking behind her. She began walking along the hallway, looking for the staircase or an elevator. But from the orange shag carpet in the hallway with brightly painted yellow walls, she had a feeling that this apartment building didn't likely have an elevator. And she was right, as she reached the end of the hall and found a staircase. Tara remembered from the apartment list, on the outside of the building, that Oz lived in apartment 602. On the 6th floor. "I just hope that this body can make it up all those stairs." Tara said out loud.

As Tara reached the 6th floor, she thought to herself. 'I can't believe that I'm not tired or even out of breath. It has to be because I'm a slayer. I hope that Oz can answer some of my questions. Maybe he knows how Willow is? And maybe he knows if she's met someone new.' Tara knew that she was taking a risk by asking Oz for help and by revealing her identity to him. 'He has no reason to help me. I'm responsible for taking Willow away from him. He came back to Sunnydale for her, but by then she had already met me. He was so mad when he asked me if we were involved, he turned into a werewolf. Oh my Goddess, what if when he finds out who I am, he gets angry and turns into a werewolf again?' Tara stopped and took another deep breath, she knew that she was getting ahead of herself. If everything that everyone had always said about Oz was right, he was genuinely a good guy and Tara knew that Willow would never have dated him if he hadn't been. There was also a part of Tara that knew that there was still a very good chance that Oz still loved Willow and would most likely willingly help her try and save Willow's life and the rest of the world. And if he still did loved Willow, it made Tara's own personal plan a lot easier.

-- --

Oz was standing in his small kitchen when his wolf-enhanced sense of smell caught a familiar scent. Even though it was a scent that he had only encountered a couple of times, he knew that it wasn't one that he was likely to ever forget. Especially the memory of what it smelled like when mixed with Willow's. He followed the scent, which led him to the doorway.

He thought that his mind must be tricking him because there was no way that she would be at his front door, especially when only a couple of people knew that he was back in the United States. But he knew that from the strength of the scent, there was someone at his door.

Oz opened to door to find a young blond woman standing in front of him. But she wasn't who he had expected to find. Expect something inside of him told him that there was something just not right with the situation. "Tara?"

Author's Notes: Please take the time to post a review. They are all greatly appreciated. So now the base of this story up, you can see who the main characters are. Will Oz help Tara? Does Tara really want to play matchmaker with Willow and Oz? What happens when they find out about Lilly? All these questions and more will be answered in the following chapters. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter. 3_

"Tara?"

Tara was shocked. She had expected to have to convince Oz that she was in fact who she said she was. But had never expected him to somehow know that it was her. Not knowing what to say, Tara remained silent.

Oz was now certain that Tara's scent was definitely coming from the woman standing in front of him. Except this young woman didn't look like Tara, the only similarity between both women was that they were both blond. Even though it seemed impossible, Oz knew that in reality, anything was possible. Before meeting Willow and her friends, he had to admit that he was naïve about all of the other things that exist on the earth, things such as vampires, demon and even werewolves. But now he was a werewolf helping other werewolves find a way of controlling their own wolf. 'Yeah anything's possible.' He thought to himself. 'If it is her, then why isn't she saying anything?' It was at that moment that he remembered the last time that he had seen Tara; he had changed into a werewolf and almost attacked her. And from what he could remembered from meeting her the couple of times beforehand, she seemed like a very shy and nervous person. Oz knew that he had to somehow prove to Tara that he wasn't going to hurt her because only then did he think that she would tell her the reason behind her visit. "Tara, right? Why are you here?" Oz asked softly, not wanting to scare her.

"I'm…sorry. I shouldn't…have…have bothered you." Tara replied. 'I can't come back looking like myself or with my magic but I still have the stutter. Isn't that nice.' Tara thought to herself, sarcastically.

"Tara, why are you here? And why aren't you you?"

Tara quickly looked around, she needed to make sure that there wasn't anyone who could possibly hear their conversation because if her secret were to get out, she would be sent back to heaven without even a chance to save Willow. But as she turned her attention back towards Oz, she noticed that he must have sensed her hesitation because he then moved to the side of the doorway and motioned for her to enter into the apartment.

Once inside of the apartment, Tara took a couple of minutes to look around. It was clear to her that Oz hadn't lived in the apartment for long as there were still multiple boxes packed into the corner of the room and it was apparent that he lived in the apartment alone. But one thing brought hope to Tara, in the whole apartment, there wasn't one single female touch. Which likely meant that he was single. And if he was still single and had feelings for Willow, Tara felt as though she had a chance of granting her own wish, making sure that Willow found life-lasting love and happiness. Although the idea of Willow falling in love with someone other than herself, Tara knew that her time with Willow had ended the moment that she had died and that now she had to make sure that Willow would be loved for the rest of her life.

Oz found the whole situation a little unnerving. The woman that his ex-girlfriend chose over him, was now standing in his apartment, in a totally different city and she didn't exactly look the same as she did when he last saw her. And yet it was her. From the way that she nervously looked around the apartment, it was clear to him that she wasn't there on a social call. "Tara, you're scaring me."

Tara turned back to Oz, he was now sitting on the couch. She knew that she should probably tell him everything because only then would his decision to help, truly be his. But Tara, herself, didn't even know what the plan was. The only thing that she knew was that the demon was female but the only narrowed down the list from everyone to every woman. Which still didn't help her very much. "I'm sorry. I didn't… mean to scare you. I shouldn't have come." Tara knew that if she was ever going to tell him, now had to be the time. 'I can't let Willow get hurt. I have to do everything that I can to make sure that she lives a long and happy life.' She thought to herself before she finally admitted. "Actually, I need… I need your help."

Instantly, Oz feared the worse. "Willow?"

Tara could only nod in response; she could fell her tears on the verge of falling. She knew that there was no way that she could force Oz to help her, if he didn't want to get involved. And she couldn't blame him if he refused to help her but she wasn't the one who needed his help. Willow was. "She needs our help."

"Where's everyone? I heard about Sunnydale but it's been 5 years and I can't find Willow, Buffy, Xander or even Giles anywhere. Is Willow okay?" Oz fears continued to grow. 'I don't think that I can handle something happening to Willow.' He thought to himself.

Tara took a couple of deep breaths before answering his questions. "I don't… think that I know much more…. than you. I just know that I was sent back to help Willow. She's in danger."

Oz couldn't believe that Willow was in danger and he had no idea where she was. But he vowed to himself that he would find a way of helping her, even if she didn't want his help. But as he thought back to what Tara had said, he began to grow more confused. "What do you mean 'you were sent back'?"

After a couple of minutes of silence, Tara walked over to Oz and sat across from him. Although she had somewhat comes to terms with her death, she never had to explain it to someone before. And Tara found it difficult to choose the right words to explain something that she didn't fully understand, herself.

"Tara, what happened? Why are you here? Why don't you look like you?" Oz's nerves began to get the best of him. He could feel the wolf inside as it tried to escape.

Tara looked up, their eyes meeting. "I died 6 years ago."

-- --

"When is her plane supposed to land?" Xander asked as he sped into the airport parking lot.

Buffy quickly glanced at her watch before replying. "Her plane landed 10 minutes ago. Press on it, Xander." It had been 3 months since she had last seen her best friend and although it wasn't the first time that they had been apart for this long, this time things were different. Different in the sense that Willow wasn't coming back alone, she was bringing her girlfriend with her, someone that no one within the Scoobies had yet met. Unless you counted Angel and trying to get information about Willow's new girlfriend from Angel was like pulling teeth. The only thing that he was willing to tell her was that Lilly was good at what she did and that he had been keeping an eye on her since she and Willow started to date. But he refused to tell her what kind of work Lilly did for him, which scared Buffy a little. And the only information that she was able to get from Willow, was that Lilly was a singer and that she loved her. With all of the mystery that surrounded Lilly, Buffy continued to grow more and more nervous about meeting her. "Is Willow coming with her new girlfriend?"

Xander could tell that Buffy was beginning to grow anxious and he had to admit that he had his own reservations about Willow's new girlfriend, as well. He and Willow had always shared everything but that all changed when she went to Los Angeles and met Lilly. But Xander knew that until he and Buffy met Lilly for themselves, they had to trust Willow's judgment. "No, Willow mentioned something about Lilly driving here by herself."

"That's odd. Why wouldn't she just fly here with Willow?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's afraid of flying. I'm sure that Willow will tell us." Xander replied as he continued to drive down rows of parked cars, searching for an empty space.

Buffy leaned back in her seat as she searched the crowd of people exiting the airport. She hoped that Willow didn't already leave for the school, thinking that they weren't going to pick her up from the airport. It wouldn't be the first time. Except this time, Willow wasn't coming back from a coven after almost ending the world. This time she was returning from Los Angeles where she helped Angel with the small group of new slayers that he had asked for. "Stop! There she is." Buffy announced, excited by the sight of her best friend.

Xander laughed as he parked the car, right in front of where Willow stood. "I told you that we weren't late and now I don't even need to pay for parking."

Buffy turned to Xander and replied. "We were supposed to meet her at the gate, not leave her waiting for us."

Instead of answering Buffy, Xander jumped out of the car and towards Willow, pulling the petite witch into hug, lifting her fully off of the ground.

Willow laughed as she hugged Xander in return. But before she could say anything, she suddenly felt someone else's arms around her. "Xander, you can put me down now, I promise that I won't disappear." Willow laughed as Xander let go, allowing her to turn around and face the source of the second hug. Buffy. "Hi Buffy." Willow happily greeted the Slayer.

Buffy finally felt as though she was home, sure she had returned to Cleveland the night before, but for some reason the school never felt like home unless she was there with both Willow and Xander. As she pulled away from Willow, she noticed something that she hadn't noticed at first. "Will, why did you dye your hair?"

As if just noticing for the first time, Willow took the tips of her hair and examined them before she replied. "Oh, this? I didn't dye my hair. A few weeks ago, it just started to darken naturally. I like it. Don't you like it?"

"It's nice, Will." Xander answered hesitantly, as he turned to Buffy. He knew that Buffy was likely thinking the same thing as him. The last time that Willow's hair had darkened, she had been under the influence of powerful dark magics.

Willow watched the silent exchange between Xander and Buffy. "I'm not turning into dark and veiny Willow. She's gone and not coming back, as long as I can help it. Okay?"

"We just worry about you sometimes. We don't want to lose you." Buffy knew that Willow would never willingly go evil again, except it wasn't as though she had that intention when it happened the last time.

"I'm here at least for another year. After that, maybe I'll leave the school to the two of you." Willow laughed at the looks of fear on her best friends' faces. She knew that her friends were just worried about her. And they had every right to be, the things that she did were unforgivable. She took a human life without thinking twice about it. But after 6 years of slowly and cautiously exploring the boundaries and limitations of her magic, she felt as though she was finally in a good place. She understood which spells she needed to stay away from because of the black magics that they required. But Willow always knew that she may have to one day do a spell that required the use of the dark arts, in order to save the world. But now that Lilly was in her life and joining the Scoobies, she was happy that there was someone else who could do the spell, someone who had better control over their powers. Thoughts of Lilly began to flood her mind, as she remembered the picture of Lilly that she had in her bag.

Xander watched as Willow grew silent. At first he thought that something might have upset her until he noticed a small smile on her face. "Will, you okay?" Xander asked cautiously.

Xander's question, instantly, snapped Willow out of her daydreams. "I'm sorry, I guess that it was just a long flight. I think that it might be a good idea if I take a nap or something. Oh! Oh! Did any of the new girls arrive yet?"

"No, we got the scheduling thing right, this year. All the new girls will start showing up early tomorrow morning with the last girl arriving right before supper. But all of the second-years girls are already back. How about we go home? I think that if Vi has to wait any longer to do a spell, she's freak out." Buffy replied as she picked up Willow's bags, throwing them into the trunk of Xander's car. She knew that the arrival of 10 new slayers was going to be difficult. Every year a small group of new slayers arrived at the school, which meant that every year she had to teach these girls how to fight and defend themselves from scratch. In the past, there had always been older girls to help train the younger ones. But now with a new team of slayers in Los Angeles, along with the few girls that Faith taught in England and the girls who traveled with Andrew, looking for new slayers, the only older girls returning were the 19 second-year slayers and one of the original potentials, Vi, who was now considered a seventh-year within the slayer ranks. Buffy laughed inside as she remembered the look on Vi's face when she found out that she was going to be the only slayer, returning to the school, with more than two years experience and that she was also banned from doing any of the spells that Willow had taught her, until Willow's return.

"I agree with Buffy. I think that we should go home. Oh, and I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed again. It wasn't that my bed in LA wasn't nice, but you know, it just wasn't my bed. My big comfy soft…" Willow began to babble.

"I think that we get the point, Will. You missed your bed. Is that why you're bringing your girlfriend here? So that she can try this bed too?" Xander asked jokingly.

Willow's jaw dropped as she sat in the backseat of Xander's car. She couldn't believe that he had just asked that question. Not that it was an unexpected question from Xander, he often asked odd questions about her sex life or lack thereof. The only difference was that he normally waited until they were in a more private place, not at an airport.

As Buffy sat down in the front passenger seat, she turned around to face Willow. Willow's face was now beet red with embarrassment. "Xander, couldn't you at least wait till we're all in the car before you ask some random question about Willow's sex life?" She asked him as he took his seat behind the steering wheel.

"Oh, come on, Buffy. You're telling me that you're not curious about Will's new girlfriend?" Xander asked in return as he started the car. He then turned his attention back to Willow. "I'm not saying that it's not cool that you have a new girlfriend and that she's coming here to live with us but even you have to admit that it's a little sudden."

"Xander, if Willow wants to keep her personal life to herself then that's her choice. And we have to respect that."

Willow knew that she hadn't been the most forthcoming with details about her relationship with Lilly. But a small part of her had to admit that she feared her friends' reactions when they learn about her girlfriend's past. "Lilly's a warlock." She quietly admitted.

-- --

"Why are you bothering me?" The Goddess demanded as four of her demon-servants entered her bedroom.

"Goddess of Evil, we apologize and beg for our lives, for bothering your precious self. But we had heard rumors and feel as though our lives are worth the information. But our lives are yours to do as you wish." One specific demon asked, cautiously walking ahead of the others.

The Goddess casually threw her pillow at the demon. "Damn right, it is. Now take that pillowcase and put it over your head. I'm tired and I don't want to look at your ugliness." She smiled as the demon quickly did as she asked. Once his head was fully covered, she sat back in her bed and softly asked, "Now tell me about these rumors. Then I'll decide if your life's worth living. Personally, I'm not one for gossip but it never hurts to hear what's being said about you."

"Goddess, there are demons who are saying that the highest powers of good have gone to extremes, in order to prevent you from fulfilling your plan. But I don't believe that your plan will fail, I see great success in your future." The demon instantly knelled down, knowing that in the past when a demon delivered bad news to the goddess, she usually killed it.

"Now the fun really begins."

End of Chapter

**Author's Notes: **I hope that everyone enjoyed that chapter. I know that it isn't the most eventful but it's still early so please be patient. Please take the time to post a review, letting me know what you think of this chapter and this fanfic in general.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: I know that this is a short chapter but I simply felt that these scenes belonged together yet apart from the next chapter. I would love to thank everyone who took the time to post a review for the last chapter. I means a lot to me, please keep them coming. The reviews are what inspire me to keep moving forward with my fanfics. I would like to thank Nightwish for your help with this chapter. _

Chapter 4.

"Will, did you just say that your girlfriend is a warlock? Wouldn't that make her a he?" Xander asked as he continued to drive towards the slayer school. He knew that he didn't know much about Willow's girlfriend but he never thought that her girlfriend was actually a boyfriend.

"No. Lilly is a woman. It's just that within the wiccan community the word warlock can also defined as an oath breaker. It isn't a word that's often used because it's very offensive but I wanted you guys to hear this from me before you heard it from someone else." Willow knew that she had to tell her friends about Lilly but she wondered how much was too much information. She didn't want her friends to hate her girlfriend based on the things she did in her past and the ways in which she did them.

Buffy turned around in the front passenger seat, in order to better see her best friend. "What exactly do you mean by 'oath breaker'?" She still wasn't very familiar with all things Wicca but Buffy knew that an 'oath-breaker' couldn't be a good thing.

Willow began to grow nervous, she knew that if she didn't say the exact right things, they wouldn't understand that despite Lilly's past, she wasn't a bad person. She wished that Lilly would have been there with her, at least then Lilly would have been able to explain it for herself, the same way that she had explained it to her. "Lilly has made some enemies. To her, they're enemies. To us, they would likely be our allies…"

"Are you telling us that your girlfriend is a demon? That you're bringing something evil into the school? You do realize that you're then putting all of our lives in danger, right?" Buffy interrupted, not allowing Willow to finish.

"Buffy, let her finish." Xander knew that there was no way that this best friend was dating someone who worked for their enemy, especially since their enemy was death, darkness and everything evil. "Will, you're making it sound like your girlfriend works for the bad guys." Xander laughed nervously, hoping that it was all a big misunderstanding.

"She did."

-- --

"I died 6 years ago."

"You dying explains a few things but not everything." Oz was grateful for the fact that he was sitting. Even though he knew that Buffy had once died, she came back immediately and she looked like herself but Tara died 6 years before and came back looking like someone else. "You said that you needed my help because Willow's in danger. What kind of danger? Where is she? And are the others with her?"

Tara took a deep breath as she began to feel overwhelmed by the task asked of her. She knew that she had to do everything in her power to save Willow but a part of her feared what she might be walking into. "Willow is in Cleveland. I don't know… why, I don't know who's with her and I have no idea what… this danger is. But I know that I have to save her. She needs me…she needs us. Will… you help me?"

Oz stood up and walked over to where Tara stood. Willow was in Cleveland, just a few hours away. He wondered what his friends were doing in Cleveland now that Sunnydale was no more. Despite the way that he felt in regards to Tara, she made it sound as though she couldn't save Willow without his help. "You can count on me. But why did you choose me? Why not go to Xander or Buffy?"

"No one within Willow's…circle can know that I'm back. That's why I lo…look different. And… you can't tell anyone. I was only allowed to…to tell one person." Tara hated the fact that she still stuttered, she wondered if she would end up doing it again in front of Willow. 'Would Willow then know that it's me? But if she figures out that I'm me, I fail. And if I'm sent back to heaven, then I can't save her and the rest of the world. Their destruction will be my fault. I have to make sure that Willow never finds out.' Tara was aware of the fact that she would have to probably be around Willow in order to protect her and she knew that it wasn't going to be easy for her to be that close to the love of her life and yet not be able to hold her again. 'But I can talk to her again. I can use that time to try and make Willow and Oz fall back in love. I can do this. I can save Willow and grant my own wish. What if Willow has already found someone else?' It had been 6 years and Tara knew that as difficult as it would be to see Willow with someone else, she wouldn't have wanted Willow to be sad and alone for all that time.

'She was only able to tell one person and she chose to tell me. What can I do to help her? Sure, I'm a werewolf but I've only changed maybe 6 times in the last 8 years. I know that I can prevent the wolf from coming out but I've never forced myself to change. And what good can I be when I can't even control myself when I change and let the wolf take control. But Willow needs me and I'll do anything to help her.' He decided as he saw the look of fear on Tara's face. It was clear that her fear had nothing to do with him; she was scared for Willow's life. She still loved Willow. He wondered if Willow still felt the same towards her. Oz knew that it was probably going to be hard for the both of them to be around Willow again, especially if she was in a relationship with someone else. But he knew that no matter what happened, Willow was at least his friend, even if they hadn't spoke in the last eight years. "But why me?"

"Because … I know that you still love her?"

-- --

"Do you understand me?" The Goddess called out, continuously throwing darts at her demon servants as they stood obediently in a line, in front of her. Although they all feared for their lives, they knew that there was the risk that if they moved or even said a word, she would kill them instantly, without a second thought. Even though they spent their whole lives worshipping her, it was another matter entirely to actually work for her. When none of them responded to her question, the Goddess threw one especially sharp dart right at the head of the demon standing directly in front of her. "You. Answer me."

The demon-servant slowly bowed down to its knees before daring to answer her question. "My most perfect being, I believe that we understand what you are asking of us. You wish to see them dead. I can assure you that we will succeed in your plan, hoping that we will one day be truly worthy of your presence."

"Timing is everything. Don't make even one mistake or you'll ruin my plan and I'll ruin that ugly little face of yours, more than it's already ruined. But I don't want you to do anything until tomorrow. Is this information processing itself in that little brain of yours?" The Goddess asked as she casually walked behind the demon she was speaking to. Once behind him, she paused for a moment before kicking the demon in the back so violently that it fell face first onto the Goddess' altar. Its head cracking open instantly as it hit the edge of the large marble altar.

As blood began to pool around the demon, its death caused some of the other demons to shift uncomfortable, knowing that they could all very well be next.

"Oops. I actually liked him." She responded coldly to what had just happened. She slowly and gracefully knelt down beside the demon, dipping the tip of her finger into the blood. "Nothing like the sweet smell of blood in the air to celebrate the beginning of a war between the almighty good and me, the mother of evil." The Goddess brought her finger to her lips as she sensually licked the blood. "I wonder what the witch's blood would taste like?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter. 5

Willow awoke early the next morning, before the sun had even risen. Tears began to fill her eyes as she thought back to the silence that had filled Xander's car, the day before when she had told them that Lilly used to work for the enemy. That silence had lasted until they had reach the school and once at the school, they all seemed to have very important things to do, hence avoiding each other. Buffy had gone out early on patrol while Xander locked himself up in the garage, claiming that he needed to work on a new weapon before the new group of slayers arrived, leaving Willow to spend her evening with the now second-year slayers and Vi.

She began to wonder if returning to Cleveland was a good choice at all. She had expected there to be some tension when she told them about her girlfriend's past but she hadn't expected it to lead to a silence that had lasted the whole afternoon, evening and night.

Willow rolled over to turn on the small lamp that sat on her nightstand, next to her bed. 'Lilly would never be awake this early.' Willow laughed as she noticed the time. It was only 4am but based on Giles' instructions; the new slayers were going to start arriving in only a couple of hours. And she knew that she had to find a way of fixing things with her friends, before they were all too preoccupied to sit down and talk about what had happened. The only problem was that she was clueless as to what needed to be said to make the situation right.

Willow crawled out of her bed as she went in search of her bag. 'I must have forgotten it downstairs when Xander brought in all my bags from the car.' Just as she was about to leave in search of her bag, her cell phone began to ring. "Hello?" She greeted, before checking the caller ID.

"Is that all I seriously get?" Lilly laughed on the other end.

Willow felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of her girlfriend's voice. "Hi Honey, I didn't know that it was you. I missed not waking up with you this morning."

"Are you okay, Willow? Something doesn't sound right in your voice."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I tried to explain your past to Xander and Buffy, and well, I don't think that I explained it right because now they are all quiet and the tension between us is suffocating." Willow laid back down on her bed, closing her eyes, pretending that Lilly was laying right beside her.

There were a few minutes of silence before Lilly responded to Willow's situation. "Why didn't you wait till I got there? I know that you probably thought that you were protecting me from their initial reactions to finding out that I'm not a perfect little witch but it ended up creating issues with you and your friends. And I don't want to do that. I know how important they are to you. Willow, if they don't want me there, I have no problem traveling back and forth from LA to visit you."

Willow instantly sat up at her girlfriend's offer. "You're not going to travel back and forth from LA to visit me. You're my girlfriend and I want you here with me. I love you and if my friends have a problem with the person that I love, then they really aren't my friends. I'll fix it, I promise. But I do think that it might be a good idea if you explain things to them when you get here. You don't have to go into too much detail, if you don't want to, but I do think that we should probably explain your strengths."

"If you mean my abilities with Dark Magic, yeah, I don't think that would ever go over too well with your friends. But I promise you that I'll try to explain it to them." After a brief paused, Lilly continued. "And I'm just driving into Denver, Colorado. Hello Denver." She laughed.

For a moment, Willow counted the time that it took from Los Angeles to Denver. It was a 14 hours drive, which only meant one thing. "Lilly! You didn't stop to sleep, did you?"

"You crazy woman, do you actually think that I would have, one, been able to sleep without you beside me and two, wasted time sleeping when I could be driving. The longer that I drive, the sooner I can show you how much I love you."

"But it isn't safe. Driving while you should be sleeping is like driving while intoxicated. Pull over now into a motel and get some sleep." Willow demanded. She knew that she had enough to worry about with the arrival of the new slayers that she didn't need her girlfriend getting into a car accident because she fell asleep at the wheel.

"Aren't you being Miss. Bossy? Are you sure that you're worried that I might get into an accident and not that I'll be too tired to properly make your room, our room?"

"Lilly…" Willow knew that her girlfriend was simply trying to distract her, but unfortunately it was slightly easier for Willow to stick to her guns over the phone than in person. Simply being in the same room as Lilly, made Willow's knees weak.

"Willow, I just want to be with you right now. I don't think that I can sleep without you." Lilly playfully whined.

Willow took a deep breath, as much as she missed Lilly, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle losing another person that she loved so much. "Lilly, please promise me that you'll stop and check into a motel."

"I'll stop and check into a motel if you promise to go and fix things with your friends. Deal?"

"Thank you and yes, I'll go downstairs right now and see if the others are awake."

"Go and do that right now. These people have been there for you, every time you've needed them, which means that they must love you. They're probably just worried. Suddenly there's a new woman in their best friend's life and they don't know her. And then to find out…. Wait what did you tell them?" Lilly asked, knowing that she needed to know exactly what the others knew about her.

Willow paused before answering; she knew that Lilly didn't like talking about her past, even though she still often used elements from her past to help others. "I told them that you used to work for the enemy."

-- --

"Xander, I can't believe that she is bringing her girlfriend here, knowing that her girlfriend used to be evil." Buffy said as she sat on the counter, cradling her cup of coffee in her hands.

Xander understood Buffy's worries, yet he had faith in his best friend and knew that Willow would never willingly place them or any of the young slayers in danger. "The key words that you just used were 'used to be'. It isn't like we've never worked with other people who 'used to be' evil. Just look at Angel and Spike." After pausing for a brief moment, he continued. "Even Anya was evil at one point. Everyone makes bad decisions; we can't always hold it against them. We don't know anything about Lilly and I'm pretty sure that she has good reasons for what she did, or Willow wouldn't be dating her. How about we give Lilly a chance? For Willow."

Buffy thought about what Xander had said for a moment. She knew that he was right; she had trusted both Angel and Spike, despite their pasts. The only difference was that neither Spike nor Angel had a soul when they were evil, while as far as Buffy knew, Lilly had one. "I guess that I'm just worried about Willow more than anything. I mean, she hasn't been with anyone since the whole Kennedy fiasco and now she's moving her new girlfriend into our house, after only knowing her for three months. I just don't want to see Willow get hurt again."

"I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions." Willow stated as she entered the kitchen, announcing her presence.

"We didn't know that you were there." Xander tried to explain. He hated the tension that instantly filled the room. They had been through too much together to let something as simple as a new girlfriend, come between them. It was clear from the bags under Willow's eyes, that she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. And from the bruises on Buffy's cheek, it seemed as though she must have been distracted, while on patrol. "Buff, what do you say?"

Buffy turned her attention to the redheaded witch. It was obvious from the look on Willow's face that she really did care for her girlfriend and even though Buffy knew that her first obligation was to fight against all things evil and to protect the next generation of slayers, she also knew that she likely wouldn't be where she was without both Willow and Xander. "I'll give her a chance. But Willow, I'm only doing this because I need you here and I want to see you happy."

"Thank you." Willow ran to Buffy and hugged her best friend in thanks.

Feeling left out, Xander joined his friends, creating a group hug. "Now that we have that whole thing taken care of, are you guys ready to start another year at The Slayer School?"

-- --

"Talk." The Goddess ordered. "If you think that I'm joking, just look at all of those ugly little demons who are terrified of me. Do you want me to show you how I take care of things that piss me off?"

"No, it's okay. Who are you and why am I here?" Amy asked. The last thing she remembered was walking home from work, when she was approached by about a dozen short ugly demons, who then attacked her. The next thing she knew she was walking up in a cave.

The Goddess walked over to one of the kneeling demon-servants and without hesitation, used the knife in her hand to stab the demon on the top of its head. Leaving the demon to crumple up and died at her feet. After a few minutes of smiling at her handiwork, she turned her attention back to the amateur witch. "That is all that you need to know about me." She answered as she pointed to the dead demon.

"Why me?" Amy couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Nothing extraordinarily supernatural had happened in her life since she last went after Willow and her friends. But this surpassed it all.

"Because I need someone of equal strength and power to play a little game with a pawn of mine." The Goddess lied. 'This witch is in no way anything close to the witch that Willow is. But what can I say her past with Willow makes her the perfect decoy.' She thought to herself as she made her way over to Amy. Casually she sat on the edge of the large bed and began to allow her fingers to trace the length of Amy's arm.

A shiver ran down Amy's spine as the woman touched her. It was clear to Amy that she wasn't just a normal woman; power radiated from every part of her being. A part of her hoped that this woman would untie her and yet the other part wondered if she was actually safer tied up to the bed. She knew that she should be trying to find a way of escaping but her curiosity got the best of her. 'It's been long time since I've had a little magical fun.' She turned her head to better see the woman in front of her. "What do you have planned?"

-- --

"Because … I know that you still love her?" Those words continued to play in Oz's mind as he drove down the interstate. He quickly looked over to the woman who slept in the passenger seat. They had spent the whole previous day and most of the night sharing their memories of Willow as well as planning how they intended on finding Willow and the Scoobies in Cleveland. They decided that their best bet would be to first get to Cleveland then drive around until they found a sign pointing to Willow's whereabouts. Their worst case scenario was to wait until night fall and then go in search of a vampire, knowing that if there was a vampire, Buffy was likely close behind.

But Oz was still shocked to learn from Tara that there were now approximately 2,000 slayers worldwide. And that it was all thanks to Willow and her magic. He smiled to himself at the thought of Willow's abilities. He remembered how important her magic was to her and he was proud of everything that she had accomplished. Everything except the dark part of magic that Willow fell victim to. He didn't believe it when Tara first told her that the same shy girl he had met in high school, had become addicted to magic. He couldn't think of anything worse happening to his Willow, besides Tara's death. Oz wondered how Willow dealt with Tara's death. He knew that he could never know the pain of watching your girlfriend die right in front of you.

Although Oz didn't believe in fate, he hoped that there was a bigger reason for Tara showed up at his door other than needing his help to save Willow and the rest of the world. Even though that was very important, Oz wondered if this was maybe his chance to be with Willow again. 'I have to get to Cleveland first. And we're here.' He thought to himself as he drove past the sign that read 'Welcome to Cleveland, Ohio.'

"Tara, time to wake up. We're here."


End file.
